Bank of Montreal Can Buys 7,791 Shares of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)

Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT - Free Report) by 12.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 72,114 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 7,791 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can owned 0.16% of Brinker International worth $9,540,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth $410,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Brinker International by 23.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 272,822 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $20,879,000 after buying an additional 51,927 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR bought a new position in Brinker International during the fourth quarter worth about $661,000. Ifrah Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth about $280,000. Finally, LMG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Brinker International during the 4th quarter worth about $400,000.

Brinker International Stock Up 2.0 %

Brinker International stock traded up $2.95 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $153.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,061,448 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,458,263. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.33. Brinker International, Inc. has a 12 month low of $44.54 and a 12 month high of $192.22. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $149.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $134.03. The company has a market capitalization of $6.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 2.21.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $1.43. Brinker International had a return on equity of 879.47% and a net margin of 5.45%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Brinker International, Inc. will post 8.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $162.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays raised their price objective on Brinker International from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Northcoast Research raised Brinker International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $215.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $144.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brinker International news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.10, for a total transaction of $1,253,250.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 26,752 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,470,259.20. This represents a 21.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cindy L. Davis sold 5,802 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $1,089,963.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,107 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,086,561.02. This represents a 34.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,802 shares of company stock valued at $3,752,464 in the last 90 days. 1.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Brinker International Profile

Brinker International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the ownership, development, operation, and franchising of casual dining restaurants in the United States and internationally. It operates and franchises Chili's Grill & Bar and Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant brands.